Crutches



June 7, 1966 c. F. WILLIAMS 3,254,659

GRUTCHES Filed June 5, 1964 INVENTOR:

CHARLES F. WILLIAMS 3,254,659 CRUTCHES Charles F. Williams, Prosthetic, Inc., 1003 W. 43rd St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111 Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,771 3 Claims. (Cl. 135-50) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in crutches, and in particular the invention concerns itself with an improved crutch which is especially adapted for use by above-the-knee amputees, that is, by persons whose leg has been amputated either at the thigh or at the hip.

While at best the use of a crutch poses many difliculties, such difiiculties become even more pronounced with thigh or hip amputees, where the user has a short leg stump or no stump at all. Matters of proper balance,

mobility, comfort and resultant confidence are most important under such circumstances and it is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide an improved crutch which is structurally arranged so that a thigh or hip amputee may comfortably and confidently rest his weight thereon and may move about in a well balanced, relatively easy manner.

The crutch in accordance with the invention is sturdy in construction, light in weight, easily adjustable to accommodate various physical characteristics of the user, reversible for use on either side of the body, collapsible into a compact form-when not in use, and adapted for convenient and economical manufacture.

With the foregoing more important object and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken "in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the improved crutch;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view, taken in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 33 in FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the crutch in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and is primarily intended for use by persons whose leg has been amputated above the knee, that is, either at the thigh or at the hip.

The crutch 10 consists of three main components, namely, a crutch body 11, a crutch arm 12 and a crutch leg 13, which are adjustably connected to the crutch body, as will be hereinafter described.

The crutch body 11 consists of a vertically elongated casting of light weight material, such as aluminum, for

example, and includes a transversely elongated and longitudinally curved upper portion 14 which constitutes a saddle for reception of the users stump or hip, as the case may be. The saddle is suitably padded in a manner well known in the art. The body casting also includes a pair of transversely spaced, downwardly convergent struts 15, 16 of a T-shaped cross-section as is best shown in FIGURE 3, these struts being formed integrally with and extending downwardly from the opposite end portions of the saddle 14, at the underside of the latter. At their.

convergent lower ends the struts 15, 16 merge into connection with a split clamping sleeve 17 which has a vertical axis and is equipped with suitable clamping screws 18. In addition, the body casting 11 includes another split clamping sleeve 19 which is formed integrallyon A United States Patent 3,254,659 Patented June 7, 1966 the outer side of the strut 15 adjacent the saddle 14 and also has a vertical axis.

The crutch leg 13 comprises a tubular, vertical leg member 20 which is provided at its lower end with a suitable ground engaging foot 21 and has its upper end portion extending slidably through the clamping sleeve 17 of the body casting 11 into the space between the struts 15, 16 as will be apparent from FIGURE 1. The height of the saddle 14 above the ground 22 may be easily adw justed by simply sliding the leg member 20 to a selected position in the sleeve 17 and then tightening the screws 18 to clamp the leg member in place.

The crutch arm 12 comprises a vertical shaft 23 which has its lower end portion adjustably secured in the clamping sleeve 19 of the body casting 11, while its upper end carries a suitable cradle 24 which fits under the users arm pit. Manifestly, by adjusting the shaft 23 in the sleeve 19, the position of the cradle 24 relative to the saddle 14 may be vertically set in accordance with the physical requirements of the user. An elongated, laterally projecting handle 25 is provided on the intermediate portion of the shaft 23, one end of the handle having a split clamp 26 for engagement with the shaft, so that the handle may be raised or lowered relative to both the saddle 14 and the cradle 24, as desired and locked in an adjusted position.

vertical axis 27; and so that the saddle projects laterally.

more to the outer side of the axis as indicated at 29, than to the inner side as indicated at 30. The crutch arm 12, of course, is mounted in the sleeve 19 on the strut 15 at the outer side of the body casting 11.

As already noted, the crutch is readily adjustable to suit the physical requirements of a user. Also, it will be observed that it may be used reversibly by left and right amputees, without any rearrangement of parts.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and

various modifications and equivalents may be resorted .to,

falling within the spirit and scope of the invention-as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A crutch foruse by thigh or hip amputees, said crutch comprising a crutch body, a crutch arm and a crutch leg adjustably connected to said body, said crutch body comprising a vertically elongated casting of light Weight metal including a transversely elongated and longitudinally curved upper portion constituting a saddle, a pair of mutually spaced downwardly convergent struts extending from opposite end portions of said saddle, a leg clamping sleeve with a vertical axis provided at the lower ends of. said struts, and an arm clamping sleeve provided.

exteriorly on one of said struts adjacent the saddle, said crutch arm comprising a vertical shaft having its lower end portion adjustably secured in said arm clamping sleeve of said crutch body, an arm pit cradle at the upper end of said shaft, and a laterally projecting handle adjustable vertically on the intermediate portion-of the shaft, said crutch leg comprising a vertical tubular leg member adjustably secured in said leg clamping sleeve of said crutch body and projectable upwardly into the space between said struts, and a ground engaging foot provided at the lower end of said leg member.

2. The crutch as defined in claim 1 wherein said crutch body has a vertical axis coaxial with the vertical axis of said leg clamping sleeve, said saddle having its center of curvature on said vertical axis and projecting laterally more to the outer side than to the inner side of the vertical axis, said arm clamping sleeve being disposed on the strut at the outer side of the axis.

3. The crutch as defined in claim 1 wherein said handle 10 of said crutch arm is laterally elongated and provided at its inner end with a clamp adjustably mounted on said shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CRUTCH FOR USE BY THIGH OR HIP AMPUTEES, SAID CRUTCH COMPRISING A CRUTCH BODY, A CRUTCH ARM AND A CRUTCH LEG ADJUSTABLY CONNECTED TO SAID BODY, SAID CRUTCH BODY COMPRISING A VERTICALLY ELONGATED CASTING OF LIGHT WEIGHT METAL INCLUDING A TRANSVERSELY ELONGATED AND LONGITUDINALLY CURVED UPPER PORTION CONSTITUTING A SADDLE, A PAIR OF MUTUALLY SPACED DOWNWARDLY CONVERGENT STRUTS EXTENDING FROM OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF SAID SADDLE, A LEG CLAMPING SLEEVE WITH A VERTICAL AXIS PROVIDED AT THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID STRUTS, AND AN ARM CLAMPING SLEEVE PROVIDED EXTERIORLY ON ONE OF SAID STRUTS ADJACENT THE SADDLE, SAID CRUTCH ARM COMPRISING A VERTICAL SHAFT HAVING ITS LOWER END PORTION, ADJUSTABLE SECURED IN SAID ARM CLAMPING SLEEVE OF SAID CRUTCH BODY, AN ARM PIT CRADLE AT THE UPPER END OF SAID SHAFT, AND A LATERALLY PROJECTING HANDLE ADJUSTABLE VERTICALLY ON THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE SHAFT, SAID CRUTCH LEG COMPRISING A VERTICAL TUBULAR LEG MEMBER ADJUSTABLE SECURED IN SAID LEG CLAMPING SLEEVE OF SAID CRUTCH BODY AND PROJECTABLE UPWARDLY INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID STRUTS, AND A GROUND ENGAGING FOOT PROVIDED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID LEG MEMBER. 